


Oh, Ms. Believer

by constantconfusion14



Series: MLB Oneshots [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff with just a sprinkle of angst for flavor, Gen, Idek what to call this au, One Shot, Song fic, Very much so up for interpretation, no superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constantconfusion14/pseuds/constantconfusion14
Summary: Marinette constantly finds herself being comforted in her dreams by a strange, blond haired figure wearing a black, cat-themed hat. He's warm and welcoming and knows how to quell the demons she keeps deep down inside of her. But he's not real. He's just a figment of her imagination she created to help deal with stress...right?Song Fic for TØP's "Oh, Ms. Believer".
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: MLB Oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765765
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	Oh, Ms. Believer

**Author's Note:**

> This work in named after TØP's "Oh, Ms. Believer" and is *heavily* influenced by this Animatic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9uZNVVYCM 
> 
> Honestly, most of the plot is based on said video, but I really wanted to write something with Marinette and Adrien in such a situation. I would suggest watching the animatic before reading the fic, as it might provide some sense of clarity. I intentionally wrote in a vague manner for style purposes. Time moves very fluidly throughout this fic, too, which might be confusing. Thank you for reading!

Marinette laid her head back against the cold metal of the bench she sat on and opened her eyes to the sky. She was met with puffy, gentle flakes floating down from the gray clouds above. A few threatened to fall into her eyes but her eyelashes reached out and grabbed them instead, protecting her eyesight so she could continue to watch the silent scene above her. 

Although no snowflake made it past her lashes, Marinette felt warm tears beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes. As peaceful as she felt, she couldn’t ignore the dark sensation in her chest that something was missing. By no choice of her own, her mind twisted from its initial thoughts and focused on the aching feeling within. There was no reason or logic attached to her emotions. They just were. And they were overtaking her. The sadness wasn’t aggressive, but it was strong. So she just let the tears fall in hopes that they’d take the negative emotions away from her.

A sound rustled next to her, but it sounded too much like the wind to check. She found solace with the back of her eyelids and the warm rivulets as they ran down her face. Her earmuffs blocked any further interruptions from the unforgiving wind and she found herself getting lost somewhere between her thoughts and reality. 

But then the noise reached over and lifted one muff from her ear. The cold bit down hard on the cartilage before the puffy cloth was snapped back into place. Marinette shot up into a sitting position and was met with the same familiar face she always saw on this bench. 

Messy, blonde hair cascaded over his eyes but was hastily tucked into a black hat with small cat ears poking out of the top. His vibrant, green irises swirled in fascination and amusement and Marinette was captivated, as she always was by him. His laugh pierced the silence like a dagger and her dark, suffocating emotions began to bleed out of her, staining the snow around them. 

She smiled. He always made her smile. 

He wiped his nose with the back of his gloved hand and then offered that same hand to her. She scrunched her face at the gross gesture but accepted anyway. Red met black and despite the fabric blocking their touch, their fingers intertwined perfectly. He pulled her to a standing position and stared deeply into her blue eyes. With his other hand, he brushed away any traces of sadness from her face. Though her tears had frozen to glaciers, his warmth was enough to melt them back to saltwater.

He smirked. And then he bolted. 

Marinette would’ve stayed in place and watched him take off on his own, but his grip was stronger than her will and he playfully dragged her behind him. The fitted, red polka dotted coat she wore rippled behind her as they created their own wake, parting the very air in front of them like some Red Sea. 

Salvation was where he was headed. He turned his head back and glanced at her expression. The smile he wore spread across his face in an impossibly large grin. His eyes gave off warmth like the sun and Marinette found herself melting in them again. 

She smiled wider. He always made her smile. 

They ran for hours, having no destination in mind. When he finally stopped, his breath came out in gasps and the air in front of him puffed like a chain smoker. He moved to put his hands on his knees, but Marinette refused to let go. His hand was hers. He was what grounded her to this place, this quiet purgatory. She tightened her grip around his thin fingers.

He was hers. And she wasn’t letting go. 

He smiled at her again, but this time it tinged with a hint of sadness. Their time was coming to an end. Marinette listened closely and knew he was right. The sound was returning. She felt her red boots start to flake off into the nearby piles of snow. She looked up and saw the same thing happening to him. 

But there was no fear in his eyes. He blew her a kiss and sent her a wink as he blew away with the wind. 

**************

Marinette shot up in bed, startled out of the vivid dream that had ensnared her moments before. Sweat beaded her forehead and her breathing was ragged, as if she’d just run a marathon. She reached out and grabbed her phone, checking the time. 

3:03 AM illuminated the dark space and Marinette was glad it wasn’t a school night. She turned over to her side and studied the cork board secured to her wall. Pictures of her friends littered the space and Marinette smiled at the memories. Photos of her and Alya, Alya and Nino, all of her girls, and Kitty Section reflected back the light from her phone as she shined it across them. More than anything though, were pictures of her and Luka. 

He made her happy. He’d always made her happy. 

But a face was missing from her collage of happiness. His messy blonde hair and eyes of emerald may have been burned into her memory, but they were absent from her memory board. 

It wasn’t the first time she’d dreamt of him. Whenever she’d have a particularly bad day in school, her mind would transport her to the winter landscape as she slept. The snow would flurry over her, washing away Lila’s manipulation, Chloe’s cruel comments and the pressures of everyday life when it became too much to handle. But the snow alone wasn't enough. Marinette had come to rely on her mental friend’s presence in her dreamscape to cleanse her of the negative emotions that plagued her on those days. 

She rolled over to her other side, facing away from the board. Her eyes closed again and she pulled her comforter tightly around her shoulders. It was a cold, autumn night but she was too lazy to get out of bed and close her window the rest of the way.

Instead, she let the memory of her dream warm her. She imagined his presence and felt his hand in hers, melting the ice from her veins and freeing her into a dreamless sleep. 

**************

Marinette slowly opened her eyes and found herself surrounded by snow. It was a whiteout, impossible to see in front of her. The bench was missing and Marinette stood alone, freezing without someone to share the silence with. 

She glanced around, confused as to why her mind had brought her here. From what she remembered, it had been a near-perfect day. Spring was her favorite time of year and the weather had been impeccable. Although school was picking up as the term came to an end, Marinette wasn’t stressed out by the workload. She’d finally managed to learn how to drown out Chloe, and Alya finally began supporting her when she argued against Lila. 

The day had been beautiful, so then why did she hear crying around her?

The devastating sound broke the silence and echoed around her like a noose, threatening to cut off her air supply. Marinette batted the air around her, frantically throwing the rope off her body and rushed forward towards the sound. The blizzard had picked up, but eventually a darkened shape appeared in her vision. 

He was sitting on the bench, head bowed into his hands, sobbing a beautiful symphony. 

As Marinette approached the bench, the wind died down to a sputter and the snowflakes lessened their assault against her bare skin. Instead, they slowly drifted down from above and merged with the blonde hair atop his head. 

She let her wet boots carry her to his side and sat down on the bench next to him. He remained bent-over, his cries disturbing the atmosphere around them, threatening to shatter the very realm. 

Marinette tried to speak up, but her words failed her. Instead, her hand moved of its own accord and gently found his shoulder. She pushed her thumb across his black, flannel coat and hummed a quiet lullaby. 

He abruptly looked up from his slouched position, surprised at her presence. His eyes shimmered with understanding and he smiled back at her. The grin didn’t reach both ears, but at least the blizzard outside seemed to calm. Marinette’s arm moved again and pulled at his chest so he sat straight up. He offered no resistance, but instead leaned into her touch, as if he were starved all his life and she smelled of dinner. 

She found herself leaning closer towards him, unable to stop until her head crashed into his shoulder. Her arms snaked across his body like a ravine. He followed suit and enveloped her in a warm, glowing embrace. 

They sat there for hours, holding each other, never wanting to let go. Marinette eventually pulled back and looked at his tear-streaked face. In a familiar motion, she reached up and brushed his cheeks, removing any traces of sadness from his being. He scrunched and wiggled his nose before he exploded in a soundless sneeze. He wiped his nose with his glove again and sniffled. 

Marinette’s smile broke into a laugh. She watched as the sadness inside of him shattered and bled into the snow around them. He smiled again, and this time he glowed with the heat of ten stars, all pointed directly at her. 

She smiled at his happiness. He always made her smile. 

*************

Marinette blinked emotionlessly at her ceiling. Those were dreams to cope with the stress of Lycee...right? He was some fictional creation of hers that comforted her and calmed her on her worst days. He’d always been there when she needed him. Her dream-friend.

But, she’d comforted him this time around. 

Marinette’s breathing rustled her sheets and she became lost in the sound of the soft crinkling. She barely remembered any of her dreams. Her parents often spoke of their own dreams at breakfast, using them as an interpretation of the stressors in their waking lives. Marinette hardly ever joined in on the discussions, because she usually forgot what took place in her subconscious as soon as she woke up. 

Except for the dreams with him in them. She remembered everything. 

She remembered the snow, the bench and the impossibly thick silence. She remembered the tears she’d spilt there and every terrible memory she had let the snow wash away. But more than anything, she remembered him. She knew his soundless laugh and his terrible habit of wiping his nose on his clothes rather than using a tissue. She knew his eyes like the back of her hand and had his facial expressions memorized. 

But his cries. She’d never heard his cries before. He’d leaned on her shoulder and relied on her to release his demons this time around. Marinette stared into the darkness above her until she began to see tiny flickers of light that didn’t exist. If she laid perfectly still, she could feel the pressure of his body laying against her arm, as if he were still next to her.

Were these more than just dreams?

***************

Across Paris, a blonde boy sat shaking in his own bedding, distraught at the events of the day and night.

His mother, the light of his life, the strongest pillar of his foundation, was  _ gone.  _ She’d been missing for months, but the police had finally given up on the case. They were no longer looking for the missing woman. Either she didn’t want to be found, or something had happened that no amount of searching would fix. 

And his father had lost it. A fury like Adrien had never seen before erupted from the stoic man, threatening to break apart the small pieces of normalcy that remained in the uncomfortably cold, lonely mansion. 

Adrien had cried himself to sleep, constantly dwelling on the fact that his mother was never coming home. Eventually, his bed had transformed into an icy bench and found himself in the dreamscape. But it was different this time. Usually, Ladybug (as he had come to call her, due to her red and black polka dotted outfit) was there before him. Now, though, she was absent.

For a few terrible moments, he was utterly alone in the freezing air. It seemed that the cold solitude of his waking life was strong enough to break through to his place of serenity. So he continued crying, because there was nothing else to do. 

His mother was never coming home. 

But, someone else had been there for him when he needed her. Adrien rubbed his eyes and looked over at his desk. One framed picture was of his mother. The other was Adrien and Kagami. It had always struck him as a strange coincidence that Ladybug and Kagami shared similar physical features. Their hair color, their small frames and parts of their facial features. Adrien had always assumed his snowy ‘dreamscape’ and the girl that accompanied it was his mind’s way of saying it wanted a stronger emotional connection with his girlfriend in waking life. That was the logical explanation; Ladybug was a creation of his own thoughts, dealing with the stress of a relationship. 

But, it felt like there was more to the story. 

Every time he saw her, every time they touched hands or laughed together, Adrien felt at peace. He hadn’t been complete since the terrible day his mother went missing, but Ladybug brought him some sense of totality. It has always been strange to repeatedly dream of comforting a girl wallowing in her own troubles. And tonight? Tonight she’d comforted him. 

Adrien realized his hand was gripping his chest right where his heart lay. It was almost as if he could still feel her weight against him. He missed Ladybug already.

A deeper part of him knew she was real. 

**************

The air gusted around her and Marinette knew where she was without even opening her eyes. When she did, she took in her surroundings. Thick snowflakes surrounded her, purposely preventing her from seeing anything further than the empty bench a few yards away. A soft yellow light pierced through the storm, as if a streetlight was warming the scene. But as she got closer, Marinette didn’t see any lightbulb or post. 

Strange, there’d never been any light here before. She turned around and sat on the bench, recoiling when the cold metal pierced her legs, which were poorly protected by a pair of thick, polka dotted leggings. Marinette thought back as to why she was here. The day had been ordinary, with the typical ups and downs. Was even that too much for her to handle, now? Did her mind need to create this escape for getting a few questions wrong on her literature test? She leaned her head back in a familiar fashion and looked up at the clouds above her, blinking constantly as the snowflakes threatened to enter the windows to her soul. 

Time crawled on like a tortoise and Marinette soon lost feeling in her extremities. She sat up straight and looked around her desolate surroundings. Nothing had changed. She glanced to the vast, empty bench that extended away from her. No one occupied the space, even though he should’ve been there.

She’d never been alone in this place before, and it suddenly seemed much more unforgiving.

Cold shot up from her numb fingertips and snaked its way through her veins. A terrible, warning, tingling sensation followed up her arms, freezing her to the core. Marinette abruptly stood from the bench, panicking as her limbs began to fail her. She tried to run away from her place of peace, but her feet refused to move with her and dragged against the snowy ground.

The floating light above the bench began to flicker and fade, no longer able to counter the strength of the storm. Her boots were quickly encased in blocks of ice and her hands threatened to crack off her wrists. The numbness moved across her, impossibly fast, reaching for her heart. She felt her organs frozen in place, stopping one by one as she desperately tried to steady her breathing. But there was no stopping the cold. She’d been here too long. 

Marinette began to yield to the freezing pain, accepting its stronghold over her. If she died in this dream land, would she die in real life? Would she ever see her parents or friends again? 

Would she ever see  _ him _ again?

A strong arm grasped her small waist and held it tightly. Marinette cracked her eyes open, hearing ice shatter as she looked up towards him. A smile fractured her face as she stared into his warm, concerned eyes. His skin burned, the proximity alone enough to start melting her. He moved his gloved hands up and cupped either side of her face, pressing just enough to touch the frozen blood beneath her skin.

He tilted his head to the side and silently asked permission as he moved in closer. Marinette smiled her answer before his lips crashed into hers, breathing life back through her veins. His warmth, his sunlight, his radiance flowed through every inch of her, shattering the ice that held her body captive. She felt her heart flutter back to life. Her limbs celebrated as they regained their movement and she leaned deeper into their embrace. 

She was smiling against his lips. He always made her smile.

But this time, he’d done more. He’d made her feel. And that was something she hadn’t previously realized she’d been taking for granted. 

Hours later, they broke away from each other, gasping for the frigid air outside their bodies. Immediately, Marinette yearned for his warmth again. She reached for his hand and intertwined her fingers through his. He led her back to the bench, sitting down in his usual place and pulled her down to sit beside him. 

He sent her a ridiculous smile, completed with his terribly messy hair and the kitty-hat that threatened to fall off his head entirely. She giggled and snuggled deeper into his heat. Through the fabric, she felt his heart frantically beating against her. Her own pulse shifted into synchronicity. 

His arms encased her, as the storm once had. But his storm was welcoming, kind and loving. She angeled her face up towards him and he loosened his grip around her account for her comfort. Deep, sea blue met his piercing green and she asked him a thousand questions with one single glance. He didn’t answer any of them.

She decided to test her voice, seeing if the barren landscape had stolen that from her, too. To her surprise, a sound broke through the silence, finding its target and piercing through his ears, like an old torpedo that shouldn't have been able to fire. 

“Are you real?” She asked him, shocked at the sound of confidence in her own voice. 

He tested his own vocal cords, trying desperately to give her a response. When his sound did break through to her, Marinette couldn’t help but smile. Of course his voice would be a cup of hot chocolate. Rich and warm, completing her in ways she never knew she needed. 

“Very. You just have to come and find me, my lady.” He bent over and placed a kiss on her forehead, pressing deeply against her skin. Marinette closed her eyes against the contact, sighing contentedly as he breathed life into her. When she looked back at him, he was nothing more than a bust, sending her one last wink before the snow took him away completely. 

**************

It was midsummer when Marinette ended her relationship with Luka. He was older, bound for university in the fall, ready to start the next chapter of his life. Marinette wasn’t ready to move on with him. She was stuck in Lycee for two more years, stuck in her childish battles with mean girls, stuck on her mysterious Chat Noir, as she’d dubbed him. 

It had been months since her startling dream. He’d told her he was real, and that she needed to find him. The sensible portion of her mind told her to forget the entire thing. It was a fantasy created in her mind to tell her that something was missing in her current relationship. But, the hopeful part of her knew he’d spoken the truth. He was out there, somewhere. He just needed to be found. 

She spent the summer with her girls, trying to get over a relationship that could’ve gone to beautiful places. In the fall, Luka went off to his chosen school, and Marinette remained behind, stuck in uncertainty. 

The first day of school had been a disaster. Chloe threw an absolute temper tantrum for some unknown reason. Marinette wanted to throw her own tantrum at the fact that Chloe was once again in her class.

Marinette leaned over and whispered to Alya, “What’s going on with her?”

Alya placed her tablet in front of her face and whispered back quietly, in an attempt to avoid anyone overhearing them. “From what I can gather, Chloe’s rich friend, Adrien Agreste was supposed to be in school today. Ya know, the reclusive son of the reclusive designer, Gabriel Agreste? Turns out, his father practically keeps him caged up. He’s been homeschooled for years. Chloe really thought it was going to work out this time, but looks like it fell through.”

Marinette scoffed at the idea. “That’s terrible. I love Gabriel’s work, but yeesh, his parenting could use some work.” She eyed the blonde across the room, completely sprawled across the desk, sobbing her eyes out. Sabrina stood close by, patting her back and offering tissues. 

But all the tears were for naught. Adrien never appeared in their class. Chloe complained daily for months about the tragedy. Eventually, she replaced her own sadness with the familiar cruelty, saying that it was better Adrien never had to step foot in such a despicable classroom, lest he be tainted by peasants of the lower class. 

Marinette pushed her ear muffs against her head as she walked out of the school at the end of the last day before the holiday break, desperately trying to drown out Chloe’s obnoxious voice. She bid adieu to Alya and Nino, watching the couple walk off together, down the street. Her heart welled at the sight of the duo. Those two were meant for each other.

She sighed as she thought of her own heart that had only just started to feel mended again. Although she hadn’t loved Luka yet, she knew that one day she would’ve. But, their separation was for the best. According to his social media, Luka had found a musician. Someone he could play in perfect harmony with. And  _ that _ was enough to let Marinette know she did the right thing. 

She pulled her jacket around her body tightly, trying desperately to block out the cold. Her boots quickly brought her up to the front of the bakery, but she stopped just before going in. The tinted windows reflected the scene around her. Thick, puffy snowflakes dropped from the gray skies above, almost creating a total white-out.

Marinette felt her heart rate increase against her will. Chat Noir’s voice echoed through her mind. 

“You just have to come find me, my lady.” Her heart fluttered at the memory of his voice and she looked across the street, at the empty park. 

It was too cold for anyone with sense to be meandering outside unnecessarily. Marinette found a familiar bench in the snow, the one she would always sit on to brainstorm, or sketch. The frigid metal bit through her thin, pink jeans, but the feeling was all too familiar. Part of her felt wrong for not wearing the polka-dot winter apparel she was so used to.

The metal eventually warmed with her body heat and Marinette looked out across the park. Or, she would have, had the snowfall not increased to a frozen downpour. The weather app on her phone chirped a notification at her, but she didn’t bother to look.

Her breathing was heavy and her nerves tingled excitedly. Was she crazy? Waiting in the freezing temperatures for a figment of her own imagination? She didn’t dare answer that question.

The street lamps behind her provided the only warmth, but they were too far away to feel. Marinette felt her fingertips starting to lose feeling and for a single moment, she was reminded of the horrible sensation of being left alone in the cold. The wintry air had overtaken her, threatening to stop her heart. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe she was too hopeful that Chat was real, despite all the logic that said he didn’t actually exist. 

Loud, frantic footsteps suddenly broke through her thoughts and Marinette whipped her head around, looking for their source. The park looked so much like the dream, and it was nearly impossible to convince herself that she was awake right now. But the sound moved closer, and she knew they were just outside her range of visibility. 

“H-hello?” she called out, apprehensively.

The footsteps abruptly stopped, and Marinette could feel the person holding their breath in anticipation. 

“Is someone there?” She called out again, begging the fates to let it be him.

The snow crunched, leading a path directly to her. Marinette squinted and saw the familiar shape appearing before her very eyes. Contrasting his dream-form, he was dressed in a white, fitted coat. Vibrant orange sneakers popped against the painfully bright snow. His hair was styled and perfect, accompanied by a neon green beanie that hung off his head.

But his eyes were the same. 

And his smile was exactly as she remembered. 

He stopped when he found her bluebell eyes and Marinette swore she felt the sun burning from inside of him. 

His breathing was ragged, as if he’d just run through the entirety of Paris. His chest heaved up and down, but he found the strength to exhale a single sentence. He smiled, dragging the back of his hand against his nose as he sniffled. Then he extended that same hand towards the girl on the bench.

“Well, my lady, it looks like I’m the one who found you.”

**Author's Note:**

> If it doesn't make perfect sense, then I achieved my goal. Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
